[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 90 (Thursday, May 23, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3898-S3899]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         PROMOTING A RESOLUTION TO THE TIBET-CHINA DISPUTE ACT

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 367, S. 138.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 138) to amend the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 to 
     modify certain provisions of that Act.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign Relations with an 
amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu 
thereof the following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Promoting a Resolution to 
     the Tibet-China Dispute Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) It has been the long-standing policy of the United 
     States to encourage meaningful and direct dialogue between 
     representatives of the People's Republic of China and the 
     Dalai Lama, his or her representatives, or democratically 
     elected leaders of the Tibetan community, without 
     preconditions, to seek a settlement that resolves 
     differences.
       (2) Nine rounds of dialogue held between 2002 and 2010 
     between the People's Republic of China authorities and the 
     14th Dalai Lama's representatives failed to produce a 
     settlement that resolved differences, and the two sides have 
     held no formal dialogue since January 2010.
       (3) An obstacle to further dialogue is that the Government 
     of the People's Republic of China continues to impose 
     conditions on substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama, 
     including a demand that he say that Tibet has been part of 
     China since ancient times, which the Dalai Lama has refused 
     to do because it is inaccurate.
       (4) Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and 
     Political Rights and Article 1 of the International Covenant 
     on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provide, ``All 
     peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of 
     that right they freely determine their political status and 
     freely pursue their economic, social and cultural 
     development.''.
       (5) The United States Government has never taken the 
     position that Tibet was a part of China since ancient times.
       (6) China signed the International Covenant on Civil and 
     Political Rights on October 5, 1998, and ratified the 
     International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural 
     Rights on March 27, 2001.
       (7) Under international law, including United Nations 
     General Assembly Resolution 2625, the right to self-
     determination is the right of a people to determine its own 
     destiny and the exercise of this right can result in a 
     variety of outcomes ranging from independence, federation, 
     protection, some form of autonomy, or full integration within 
     a State.
       (8) United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1723, 
     adopted on December 20, 1961, called for the ``cessation of 
     practices which deprive the Tibetan people of their 
     fundamental human rights and freedoms, including their right 
     to self-determination''.
       (9) Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a May 26, 2022, 
     speech entitled ``The Administration's Approach to the 
     People's Republic of China'', said that the rules-based 
     international order's ``founding documents include the UN 
     Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which 
     enshrined concepts like self-determination, sovereignty, the 
     peaceful settlement of disputes. These are not Western 
     constructs. They are reflections of the world's shared 
     aspirations.''.
       (10) The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note), 
     as amended by the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 
     (subtitle E of title III of division FF of Public Law 116-
     260), in directing the United States Government ``to promote 
     the human rights and distinct religious, cultural, 
     linguistic, and historical identity of the Tibetan people'' 
     acknowledges that the Tibetan people possess a distinct 
     religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity.
       (11) Department of State reports on human rights and 
     religious freedom have consistently documented systematic 
     repression by the authorities of the People's Republic of 
     China against Tibetans as well as acts of defiance and 
     resistance by Tibetan people against the People's Republic of 
     China policies.
       (12) The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) 
     specifies that the central objective of the United States 
     Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues is to promote 
     substantive dialogue between the Government of the People's 
     Republic of China and the Dalai Lama, his or her 
     representatives, or democratically elected leaders of the 
     Tibetan community.

     SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

       It is the policy of the United States--
       (1) that the Tibetan people are a people with a distinct 
     religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity;
       (2) that the dispute between Tibet and the People's 
     Republic of China must be resolved in accordance with 
     international law, including the United Nations Charter, by 
     peaceful means, through dialogue without preconditions;
       (3) that the People's Republic of China should cease its 
     propagation of disinformation about the history of Tibet, the 
     Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions, including that of 
     the Dalai Lama;
       (4) to encourage the People's Republic of China to ratify 
     the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and 
     uphold all its commitments under the International Covenant 
     on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and
       (5) in accordance with the Tibetan Policy and Support Act 
     of 2020--
       (A) to promote substantive dialogue without pre-conditions, 
     between the Government of the People's Republic of China and 
     the Dalai Lama, his or her representatives, or democratically 
     elected leaders of the Tibetan community, or explore 
     activities to improve prospects for dialogue, that leads to a 
     negotiated agreement on Tibet;
       (B) to coordinate with other governments in multilateral 
     efforts towards the goal of a negotiated agreement on Tibet; 
     and
       (C) to encourage the Government of the People's Republic of 
     China to address the aspirations of the Tibetan people with 
     regard to their distinct historical, cultural, religious, and 
     linguistic identity.

     SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) claims made by officials of the People's Republic of 
     China and the Chinese Communist Party that Tibet has been a 
     part of China since ancient times are historically 
     inaccurate;
       (2) the current policies of the People's Republic of China 
     are systematically suppressing the ability of the Tibetan 
     people to preserve their religion, culture, language, 
     history, way of life, and environment;
       (3) the Government of the People's Republic of China is 
     failing to meet the expectations of the United States to 
     engage in meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his 
     representatives or to reach a negotiated resolution that 
     includes the aspirations of the Tibetan people; and
       (4) United States public diplomacy efforts should counter 
     disinformation about Tibet from the Government of the 
     People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, 
     including disinformation about the history of Tibet, the 
     Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions, including that of 
     the Dalai Lama.

     SEC. 5. MODIFICATIONS TO THE TIBETAN POLICY ACT OF 2002.

       (a) Tibet Negotiations.--Section 613(b) of the Tibetan 
     Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
     semicolon;
       (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(4) efforts to counter disinformation about Tibet from 
     the Government of the People's Republic of China and the 
     Chinese Communist Party, including disinformation about the 
     history of Tibet, the Tibetan people, and Tibetan 
     institutions, including that of the Dalai Lama.''.
       (b) United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues.--
     Section 621(d) of the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 
     6901 note) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), and (8) as 
     paragraphs (7), (8), and (9), respectively; and
       (2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following new 
     paragraph:
       ``(6) work with relevant bureaus of the Department of State 
     and the United States Agency for International Development to 
     ensure that United States Government statements and documents 
     counter, as appropriate, disinformation about Tibet from the 
     Government of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese 
     Communist Party, including disinformation about the history 
     of Tibet, the Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions, 
     including that of the Dalai Lama;''.
       (c) Definition.--The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 
     6901 note) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
     section:

     ``SEC. 622. DEFINITION.

       ``For purposes of this Act, the term `Tibet' refers to the 
     following areas:
       ``(1) The Tibet Autonomous Region.
       ``(2) The areas that the Government of the People's 
     Republic of China designated as Tibetan Autonomous, as of 
     2018, as follows:
       ``(A) Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and 
     Pari (Tianzhu) Tibetan Autonomous County located in Gansu 
     Province.
       ``(B) Golog (Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Malho 
     (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Tsojang (Haibei) 
     Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Tsolho (Hainan) Tibetan 
     Autonomous Prefecture, Tsonub (Haixi) Mongolian and Tibetan 
     Autonomous Prefecture, and Yulshul (Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous 
     Prefecture, located in Qinghai Province.
       ``(C) Garze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Ngawa 
     (Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, and Muli 
     (Mili) Tibetan Autonomous County, located in Sichuan 
     Province.
       ``(D) Dechen (Diqing) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, 
     located in Yunnan Province.''.

     SEC. 6. AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS TO COUNTER DISINFORMATION 
                   ABOUT TIBET.

       Amounts authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made 
     available under section 346 of the Tibetan Policy and Support 
     Act of 2020 (subtitle E of title III of division FF of Public 
     Law 116-260) are authorized to be made available to counter 
     disinformation about Tibet from the Government of the 
     People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, 
     including disinformation about the history of Tibet, the 
     Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions, including that of 
     the Dalai Lama.

  Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported 
substitute amendment be agreed to; that

[[Page S3899]]

the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and 
that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the 
table with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendment, in the nature of a substitute, was 
agreed to.
  The bill, as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a third 
reading, was read the third time and passed.

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